Understanding Different Types of Pokies Machines & How They Work
The first pokie machine in its ‘modern’ version was invented in 1894 by Bavarian-born American inventor Charles August Fey. It was a coin-operated gambling machine that Fey, a San Francisco mechanic, built in his basement. Fast forward to 1976 when the first video pokie machine was introduced, featuring an electronic color display and logic boards. The internet revolution of the 1990s saw the first online casino with online pokies launched in 1994. Since then pokies have gone mobile, providing players with access to thousands of pokies at their fingertips from any smartphone or tablet device.
But despite leaps in technology that revolutionized the way we play pokies, many basic principles of pokie machines remain similar.
How Pokies Work
The first step to learning how to win pokies is understanding the principles of the game. Whether digital or mechanic, a pokie machine will contain reels with symbols that represent different values. One or more paylines will outline the pattern of symbols that needs to align on the reels in order to generate a win.
The player will spin the pokie’s reels by pulling a lever or pressing a button (for mechanical, and computerized pokies respectively) with the aim of landing a winning combination of symbols that corresponds with the pokie’s paylines. The payout will depend on symbol values and the amount of money wagered on the payline.
It is important to know that all pokies have a Random Number Generator (RNG) which makes sure that the outcome of every spin is completely random.
Types of Pokies
Beyond basic similarities, pokies differ significantly in their number of reels and paylines, features, payouts, bonus rounds and more. To make the most out of your pokie experience, you need to find a pokie that suits your gameplay, personality and strategy.
Below are the main types of pokie machines available to Kiwi players:
🎰 Classic Pokies: These are perhaps the easiest pokies to find and the simplest to play. They use traditional symbols such as lemons, cherries, bells, lucky 7s and card suit symbols. The most basic ones include 3 reels and 1 payline across. But there are many newer pokie machines that offer a classic theme combined with more reels, multiple paylines and innovative features.
🎰 Multi-Reel Pokies: Advancements in technology allow to make pokies that are more visually attractive and exciting. So modern-day online pokies moved away from the classic 3-reel design, adding more reels for a more interesting gameplay and increased chances to win cash prizes. The most common is a 5-reel pokie, and there are games with even more reels available.
🎰 Video Pokies: Video pokies are used as a generic term for online pokies. However, this term is also used for pokies that boast more sound and visual effects such as intricate design, animation and movies.
🎰 Multi Payline Pokies: As their name suggests, this category of pokies offers multiple paylines across the reels. Innovation in recent years brought about pokie mechanics that enable many paylines. These include 3, 4, 5 and even 25 playlines, pay-both-way pokies which pay for symbols aligned from either side, and even 1024-ways-to-win pokies with a colossal amount of possible winning combinations.
🎰 Mega Spin Pokies: These pokies allow to play 4, 5, 6 or even more games at once. Where there are several grids or game sessions happening with every single spin.
🎰 Multiplier Pokies: This pokie machine has bonus features that are triggered randomly and give players the chance to multiply their winnings. Players can double, triple or even increase their wins by 100 times if lucky.
🎰 Mobile Pokies: Most of the newer online pokies are compatible with mobile devices such as iOS and Android. However mobile pokies are a special category of pokies that have been created specifically to be played on smartphones and tablets. These pokies provide a seamless mobile experience with enhanced visuals and features that are designed to be played on smaller touchscreens.